The Last Petal
by Diabolical Pink Bunny
Summary: Season 6, episode 03: Atlantis has been on earth for a month now, but soon things change: Atlantis is dying. And it seems Sitnalta is dying as well. Now the race is on to save both the city as well as her child.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything concerning the Stargate franchise. As I said before: if I had, things would have turned out differently._

_Author's notes: This is the third story in my series. The first story is "I am Atlantis,' where we meet Sitnalta. The second story is 'Spite and Malice,' where the characters reflect on the time during the fourth and fifth seasons, and how Sitnalta's presence had changed things. That story ends with Todd's call about the Super Hive. After the story, just accept that Atlantis comes to earth the way we see in the series._

_By the way, perhaps it is time I named my series._

'_The Last Petal' now continues the story a month after Atlantis has landed on earth. What had seemed like such a nice thing at the end of the series, now seemed like a bad idea to the Atlanteans._

_The name of the story is taken from the lyrics of the Nightwish song 'Beauty and the Beast.' The complete phrase is: 'I know my dreams are made of you, of you and only for you. Your ocean pulls me under; your voice tears me asunder. Love me before the last petal falls.' It seemed to fit._

**Chapter 1**

Sitnalta stood at the window, looking out over the bay. To one side were the city and the bridge they called the Golden Gate Bridge – even though it wasn't golden but red. They had been on earth for nearly a month now. That month had been a whirlwind of parties (one of which had been a total disaster), functions and activities. Rodney had taken her to see some of this world's most amazing sights and wonders. She has made a number of friends and spent a great deal of time studying the diverse cultures of this world. It was a truly amazing and wonderful world.

She hated it.

Sighing, she turned away from the scene and went in search of her friend. Slowly she walked the corridors, wondering at how empty the city seemed. Once Atlantis had been filled with millions of people. Then, these past years, only a few hundred have populated it. Yet it had been alive. Now there were only a few people in the city, and she could feel Atlantis' energy shutting down into hibernation. The city was going to sleep, and she along with it. She had not realised how closely she and Atlantis were connected. She had thought she was a completely separate entity, yet it seemed that somehow – seeing as she _was_ part of the consciousness of Atlantis – she was still connected with the city on some elemental level.

Finally she reached the gate-room. Instantly her attention was drawn to the stargate. Although the gate was only lit up when there was either an incoming or outgoing wormhole, it had always seemed alive with possibility. All one had to do was dial an address and it would live. But now the gate was dead. She could feel it. The Atlantis gate had interfered with the gate-activity of the earth gate, so Atlantis' had been completely shut down. It was now just an awkward stone ring in the middle of an empty room.

Slowly she climbed the steps leading to the control room. It, too, was empty. With no stargate and Atlantis in low-power mode, there was no reason to man it. Only a single person still roamed the room.

"Doctor Elisabeth?" Sitnalta called. She walked around the corner and found her friend at the desk in the office, working on a lap-top. Elisabeth Weir looked up.

"Hello," she greeted. She looked around. "I thought you had gone to the dinner with Rodney."

"I think I've had enough of earth for today," Sitnalta answered. She really wished there was something she could do for Elisabeth. The IOA still would not allow her on earth, even though Atlantis was parked in the ocean just a few miles off shore of one of the big continents. Sitnalta was not exactly sure how the IOA thought, but their logic seemed very illogical.

Elisabeth smiled. "I'm beginning to feel like a ghost, haunting the city." Then her smile turned wry. "A synonym for 'ghost' is 'wraith.'"

"Then we are two Wraiths they have missed," Sitnalta smiled. But a part of her thought that in some fashion Elisabeth Weir _had_ been haunting Atlantis for ten millennia. No wonder Sitnalta had always felt drawn to the older woman: in a way the two of them had known each other for a very long time.

"Tell me, have you made any plans for the future?" Elisabeth asked.

"I don't know. All I know and love is right here, on Atlantis," Sitnalta replied.

"I thought Rodney was planning on moving back to the city," Elisabeth said, frowning. Sitnalta was aware of what the woman was really asking: how long will it be before Atlantis was abandoned?

"He had thought about it. But I don't think I can leave Atlantis." Idly Sitnalta stirred the bowl of beads on the desk. From the start Woolsey had preferred the conference room, so Elisabeth had moved back into the small office on the control-room level. The beads were those that had been braided into her hair the day before they had left the Pegasus galaxy; the day of Torren's party. Each of the six women had theirs tucked away safely somewhere.

Weir sat forward, hands folded together. "What do you mean, you can't leave Atlantis?"

Sitnalta let the beads run through her fingers before looking up at her friend. "I think I am not as separate from the city as I had thought. Even now I can feel Atlantis; slowly shutting down." She sighed and sat back in her seat. "I am afraid. Something is about to happen, and I don't know what."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Three weeks ago_...

Why the president of the United States of America had thought it a good idea to throw the people of Atlantis a party – especially at the White House – could probably have gone down in history as one of those 'What were you thinking?' ideas. It's probably a good thing then that history was never informed. And as history had to remain ignorant – along with the regular people of earth – only a select few were invited.

The party was planned for a Friday a week after Atlantis landed on earth. And as nobody was supposed to know about the immense city-ship in the sea, a part of the guests were forced to arrive at the party in cloaked puddle jumpers. The normal people arrived in Limo's and helicopters. But behind the White House, on a designated spot, twelve puddle jumpers were parked. However close one got to the spot, all one would ever see was a piece of green grass with a lot of guards surrounding it. The tabloids had a field day with speculation.

Of course, things did not go as smooth at the party itself. The first problem had been Ronon Dex. Though he had been to earth before, he had always been allowed to keep at least a couple of weapons on him – if 'allowed' was a good word for it. But as the guests entered the building, they were forced to pass through a metal detector.

And of course Ronon set it off. Then of course the guard waved that wand-thing over him. It beeped – repeatedly.

"Um, sir, do you have any metal on you?" he asked.

"Yes," Ronon replied. Teyla Emmagan – already through the detector – rolled her eyes.

"Um, could you remove them, please?" the guard requested.

"No." Ronon wasn't a man of many words.

"Sir, we need to make sure you aren't carrying any weapons," the flustered guard explained. The guard was used to the cooperation of people. Nothing in his life had prepared him for Ronon.

"I am carrying weapons," Ronon replied. He smiled. It was not a very pleasant smile. The guard nearly died right there on the spot.

"Sir, will you please step this way?"

"Why?" Ronon's smile died.

"Because we need to take your weapons from you."

"No."

By now they had an audience. Teyla thought now might be a good time to intervene.

"Ronon, perhaps you should do as the man asks," she politely tried to convince her friend.

"No." And the audience was growing. In the end the president self had to step in and assure the guards – all four of them in a stand-off with Ronon – that they should just leave him be. He might be carrying a weapon – or ten – but he was no threat. Or, at least, no threat to anyone at the party.

"There you are," John Sheppard finally rescued Ronon from all the attention. "Mister President, I see you've met Ronon, our resident Satedan."

"Yes," Ronon answered instead. He towered above the young president, but at least he was smiling.

"Ah, the one they called the runner," the president smiled as he held out his hand. Perhaps the man was not as smart as he seemed. But Ronon behaved himself nicely. He smiled back at the president and shook his hand. Perhaps he gripped the president's hand a bit too hard, though. John could see how white the American's hand turned beneath the steely grip of the Satedan, but to his credit the president didn't even flinch.

"Now, Ronon, be nice," John admonished. He really hoped they made it through the evening.

"I am always nice," Ronon smiled, and John started to wonder if _making_ was the wrong word: perhaps he should start worrying if they were able to _survive_ the evening. Fortunately the president wasn't someone who had time to stand around and chat. His leaving probably saved Ronon's life.

A little further on, Rodney McKay and Sitnalta were chatting with Evan Lorne. A few of the other scientists in the room had tried to start a conversation with McKay, but that turned out to be a complicated confusion. In a room of a few hundred people, only a select few had the security clearance to know about Atlantis. So of those who came to talk to Rodney, only about half knew what he had been up to. That half he sent on their way by simply telling them they know he was smarter and he had been proving it these past few years. Those without clearance simply left after a while, unable to stand his snide comments. Sitnalta knew how much it frustrated her lover that he had been at the top of his field, but was unable to prove it, as everything was still classified. So now the three of them – Rodney, Sitnalta and Lorne – formed a small island of their own; shunned by the rest of the guests.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone alienate so many people in so short a time," Lorne remarked as the last scientist finally admitted defeat and left.

Rodney lifted his head, looking a bit self-conscious. "Well, I can't help it if all of them only dabble in science."

Lorne lifted a pastry to his mouth, and just before he popped it in, remarked: "If you say so."

Sitnalta glared at the younger man, yet her eyes danced with laughter. "Well, you have to admit Doctor Miles' theory about quantum singularities are far off the mark," she told Lorne.

"Yes," Rodney said, "yes!" and he turned to Sitnalta, gesturing. "The world still thinks of them only as a black hole, leaving the idea of wormholes completely untouched."

Lorne's eyes glazed over, but just as he was about to call it quits and leave, a soft feminine voice joined their group.

"Life in Atlantis has spoiled your perceptions," a new voice remarked.

"Oh, Jeannie," Rodney identified the speaker; his sister. "I didn't know you were invited."

"Sitnalta invited me," Jeannie Miller replied. She was a pretty blonde woman, about the same age as Lorne and as smart as – or even smarter – than her brother. Yet she had left the competitive world of science for the dream of the white picket-fence, a husband and a family. Rodney had thought she had thrown away her life, but she was content. And infinitely better adjusted than her brother.

Sitnalta saved all of them from an embarrassing sibling fight by smoothly stepping in, hugging Jeannie and complementing her on her looks.

But in fact it was two of the Atlantis women – and Ronon – who really stood out in the crowd. Most of the women had either worn their formal military dress, or a cocktail dress – as Jeannie self had. But Teyla had worn her best outfit; consisting of a lot of leather, flowing lines and a bare belly. In her hair she wore a single braid, adorned with some of the beads from Torren's party. Sitnalta had worn the same lovely dress she had worn the day they had been to Dagan to fetch the ZPM. She had left her hair flowing loose, except for a single braid like Teyla's.

And Ronon had worn his best coat. No wonder he had intimidated the security guards.

For a little while the four of them chatted. Sometime during the conversation Ronon joined them, and the five of them were able to ignore the rest of the crowd. But then a bark interrupted the whole thing. Somehow the presidential dog had gotten into the party and was now happily begging food from guests.

"What is that?" Sitnalta asked.

"A dog," Jeannie answered. "We keep them as pets," she explained further when it was obvious Sitnalta did not understand. "Pets are almost like our companions."

"Companions?" Sitnalta asked. Her eyes lit up. "I want one," she added. Then, without warning the dog came over to the chatting group. Sitnalta bent, picked up the startled dog and pressed her face into the creature's fur. It wasn't a small dog, and Sitnalta could barely hold on to it. "You are so pretty," she told it.

Moments later the dog-sitter arrived, out of breath. "Ma'am, I am so sorry!" he apologised. He tried to take the dog, but Sitnalta turned her back on him; still holding on to the dog.

"Just give him the dog," Rodney told his lover. She narrowed her eyes.

"No." She held even tighter, making the dog whine. "Oh, you poor dog!" she exclaimed, apparently relaxing her grip. It licked her face and right there Rodney knew he had to get her away from the dog: he disliked the creatures, and now she seemed extremely taken with it. Her soft laughter at the canine caress didn't help his state of mind, either.

"Hey, you must be the lovely Sitnalta," another voice suddenly joined the group. Instinctively Sitnalta turned to the speaker. A tall, grey-haired man stood there, grinning crookedly. "I'm Jack O'Neill," he introduced himself.

Sitnalta gave a little yelp of joy and flung one arm around the man. In her other arm she still held on to the dog; legs hanging limply. "General Jack!" she exclaimed in her usual fashion. Rodney had up to now refused to introduce her to the president, as he was not sure how the man would react to her habit of first names.

"I thought you haven't met," Teyla said, frowning slightly at O'Neill and Sitnalta. When the younger woman finally disengaged herself from the general, she grinned at her friend.

"No, we haven't. But I've heard a lot about him and his team," she explained. The dog seemed as happy to see O'Neill as Sitnalta, and it gladly started to eat the snacks on his plate.

"Sir," the dog-sitter turned to O'Neill; probably hoping to appeal to what he thought was a higher authority. "Please, the dog..."

"Is there a problem with the dog?" the older man asked. Again Sitnalta turned her hip towards the dog-sitter. She glared at him.

"Sir, I need to get it back to its kennel," he pleaded.

Sitnalta nearly growled at the man. "A kennel! You want to lock it up? No."

"Ma'am, it's a presidential dog. Its kennel is probably bigger than your house," the young dog-sitter tried to explain. Of course it back-fired. But how was he to know Sitnalta reckoned the whole of Atlantis was her home?

Fortunately O'Neill leaned over and whispered something in her ear. She turned to the tall man and sweetly asked: "Would you?"

"Of course," he grinned. "It is an earth rule." Immediately, without further ado, Sitnalta passed the big dog to the sitter.

"Wait, what just happened?" Rodney asked, looking perplexed.

O'Neill gave him a very innocent look. "I guess I'm just," and he shrugged, "naturally good with women."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"What's going on here?" John Sheppard demanded. He was no longer in a good mood. The day had begun nice enough, but this past hour had radically changed it.

The morning had started like any other this past month: boring. The Wraith had been left in the Pegasus galaxy, and the Goa'uld seemed to be on holiday. Not that he had known that much about the serpentine-body snatchers up until a relatively short time ago. When SGC had briefed him five years ago on the Atlantis mission, they had only mentioned an outside threat to earth, but as they had not even known if they would return to earth – ever – it had not been discussed in detail. Now suddenly the IOA wanted to use Atlantis to fight these guys – as well as evil-Ancients, the Trust and a few other critters. Only the Tok'Ra seemed to be friends, but they turned out to be body-snatchers as well. Or, at least, body-renters.

But as Atlantis had burned out her ZPM's during her battle with the super-Hive, they were in the clear where other fights were concerned for the time being.

So, like all other mornings, the city had been peaceful and boring. He had sparred a bit with Ronon and Teyla; then he had watched them spar – which was far more exciting. The two had even drawn an audience. Well, the Becketts had claimed they were there to set any broken bones and such, but as both were present John doubted they were really there for the reasons they claimed. It seemed everyone on Atlantis was bored.

Then he had gone on a light patrol of the city – just to have something to do. After that he had spent an hour getting on Rodney's nerves. By then it had been time for lunch and he had shared the table with his team, which these days included Sitnalta. Well, not that she often went off-world with them, but one could hardly expect Rodney to eat at one table and Sitnalta at another.

It was after lunch that the trouble had started. He had been on the northern pier – which was now tilted more south-easterly and should probably rather be referred to as pier 3 – when he had seen the meandering river of vessels in the harbour. Twenty minutes later they started docking. He hurried down to the pier, only to find the boats vomiting people and equipment. Some were dressed in casual clothes, others in formal white lab-coats and a number in military wear. The equipment seemed heavy, so he refused to help even when they asked. After all, he outranked everyone.

"What's going on here?" he demanded from the Major who seemed to be in charge of the operation. The younger man neatly saluted John, but he could see a slight sneer on the Major's face. Then the Major simply handed him an official-looking piece of paper and returned to bossing the new arrivals around.

John knew the young man – Major Greer. He was a paper-pusher and an ass-kisser. John liked him as little as he liked John.

The paper was a long and windy explanation stating that Atlantis had been taken over by the IOA and their science teams. One owl-eyed scientist with lab-coat and pocket protector came up to him and demanded to be told where the main labs were. And while he was at it, John might as well give him a hand with his equipment. So John smiled and sent the man all the way to Woolsey's tower – as they had come to call it.

John followed a group of scientists and they finally found the main lab – where they promptly pissed Rodney off. But one squirrelly fellow handed him a paper similar to the one John had been given – and John spent an exciting minute observing his friend. As Rodney read the letter his face turned white, then red and white again. Then he threw the letter on the floor and started yelling at the squirrelly fellow. But as the letter – if it was like John's – explained that all Pegasus-personnel were now obsolete, the new arrival simply watched Rodney until the older man ran out of steam.

"Doctor McKay," he then said, "your work here has been invaluable to earth. But now it is our turn. So you can either aid us or be relieved of your position."

And of course Rodney didn't take that well. In the end John had to drag his friend away before he hurt the other little scientist – which, after five years of fighting the Wraith, Rodney was completely capable of doing. In fact, Rodney had been practising with Teyla, and though he will never be a Steven Seagal or Jackie Chan, he was good enough at hand-to-hand combat to flatten the new scientist.

Then again, John mused as he and Rodney left the lab, both Seagal and Chan could probably take some lessons from Teyla.

Minutes later the two men entered the control room. Woolsey and Elisabeth Weir were discussing something – and it was not a mystery what.

"What's going on here?" John demanded. He was no longer in a good mood. Then again, neither McKay, nor Woolsey or Elisabeth looked happy, either.

"It appears they had finally managed to clear all these people," Woolsey calmly said, though a tightness around his mouth gave away his own anger. "They are here to study Atlantis and to determine what military applications her technology has."

Just then a distraught Sitnalta ran into the room. Almost instinctively Rodney opened his arms and she took shelter there – almost like a frightened bird. She was crying.

"They're going to kill Atlantis!" she exclaimed between sobs.

"So you are just going to allow these people to run around, poking into everything?" John demanded from the expedition leader. Or rather, the apparently ex-expedition leader.

"We do not know whether their presence will harm the city," Woolsey tried.

"Nor do we know if these people will respect the technology, either," Weir remarked.

"And what can we do?" Rodney demanded. "That man literally threw me out of my own lab!"

"According to this," Woolsey said, holding out a letter like the ones John and Rodney had received, "it is no longer your lab."

"So you got one as well," John sneered, pointing at the paper bearing the official-looking IOA seal.

"Yes, it seems I have," Woolsey replied. "And according to it, all of us are relieved of duty."

"See, that's the part I have a problem with," John remarked. "These people have no idea what they are getting themselves into."

"Nor did we when we came here," Elisabeth said, drawing a disgusted look from Sheppard. But then he saw the frustration in her face, and he knew she was suffering as much as the rest of them. If Atlantis was harmed, Weir would feel it as much as any of them – perhaps even more so. For two years now it had been the only home she knew. It was probably the only place in the universe where she was welcome.

As they were still discussing the issue, a group of armed men marched into the control-room. Without a word they spread out and took up positions around the room. Another group was securing the gate-room.

Greer came in. He walked over to the Atlantis-group, but he did not smile. "Mister Woolsey, Doctor Weir," he greeted. He looked at Rodney. "Doctor McKay, I officially take command of this facility. With the exception of Doctor Weir, the rest of you have forty-eight hours to evacuate the city. Should any of you wish to remain, they can apply to the IOA."

As he was finishing his speech, the two Becketts came in, trailing Jennifer and Radek. The two Becketts still looked a bit strange to John with their tattoos. Three weeks ago, at the – um – interesting party, the two men had finally decided they were tired of being confused. They were not twins, after all, but neither were they the same man anymore. So they had snuck out and gotten themselves a tattoo each. Carson now sported the seventh-chevron – the earth chevron. It had been tattooed over his left eye. The one leg of the chevron bisected the eye, while the little circle on the top and the other leg were more to the side of his face. Duncan sported the Atlantis-badge beneath his right eye; the wings of the Pegasus spread so that one nearly touched his eye. They looked kind of dashing and nobody confused them anymore.

But Jennifer and Laura had yelled at them for a little while, though.

Greer turned to them. "More freaks," he sneered. John wondered how he would react to the fact that Teyla was sure Todd was still alive somewhere on Atlantis. "Duncan Beckett, Elisabeth Weir and Sitnalta," he continued, "you are not recognised citizens of earth, therefore you will remain on Atlantis until that time as we have found a place for you."

"You mean a prison," John suddenly realised.

"They will not be prisoners. But surely you can understand why we can't allow them among the general population," the Major said, looking smug.

"I am aware that a number of off-world people have taken refuge on earth," Elisabeth stated.

"But none of them posed such a threat to society as you do," Greer explained. John nearly hit him, surprised at the intensity of his anger.

"Surely Duncan Beckett poses no threat," she continued, unperturbed. Weir might look fragile and vulnerable, but she was as strong and determined – and pig-headed – as Ronon. "Nor does Sitnalta."

"But that's not why you need them, is it?" Rodney suddenly piped up, angry. "Duncan and Sitnalta are clones and you want them close-by so you can study them," the scientist suddenly realised. "And Elisabeth carries the last of the Replicator nanites – the nanites Sitnalta has reprogrammed. Letting these three out of your sight would be a loss of 'military applications,' wouldn't it?"

Before Greer could answer, the city's lights dimmed. It lasted only a moment, but by the time it came back on, Sitnalta had passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Two weeks ago..._

"Incoming puddle jumper!" Chuck announced. Then he sighed. "That's not really the same, is it?" he asked no-one in particular. For years now he had been the one who was in charge of stargate travellers, but these days the only thing of interest was the odd passing whale. And today a single incoming puddle jumper.

It was a real come-down in the world of adventure they called home. And of course he wasn't too fond of the knowledge that not too far away was another stargate – an active stargate – while theirs was just a pretty piece of useless room-decoration.

Another thing that he didn't like was that from his position in the control-room, he had been able to observe everything going on in Atlantis. The gate-room and control-room had been the hub of activity; the heart of everything.

He sighed again. Today had been one of the most exciting days in two weeks, and the only thing that had happened had been Colonel Sheppard taking a jumper to fetch General O'Neill for his formal visit from the SGC. As far as Chuck was concerned, the SGC wasn't too bad a bunch of people. Too bad even they had to answer to the IOA. The IOA was just a bunch of politicians: what did they know about living in the light of the stargate?

#####

The jumper slid effortlessly into its bay. Those gathered to greet the General now stepped forward, forming a ragged bunch. John rolled his eyes as he watched them through the front of the puddle jumper. At least the marines formed a nice line, but the rest of them simply stood where they liked.

Finally the jumper came to a halt and the aft hatch opened. John grinned that crooked grin of his at the group in the bay, then turned to exit.

"This way, General," he indicated as he walked through the jumper. Together the two of them exited and walked around the side of the jumper.

Woolsey was the first – as official leader of the expedition – to greet Jack O'Neill.

"Welcome to Atlantis," the bald man greeted.

"Always a pleasure," O'Neill formally greeted. If John remembered correctly, Woolsey and O'Neill had spent a few hours together on Atlantis: all of them very nervous hours.

"Welcome back, O'Neill," Weir said, shaking his hand. O'Neill grinned and answered with a little nod of his head.

"You look as lovely as ever, Doctor."

Elisabeth smiled. "Thank you." She gestured at Rodney. "You remember Doctor McKay?"

"How can I forget?" O'Neill said as he shook the scientist's hand.

"Yes, well, always a pleasure," Rodney replied, flustered. Then it was his turn to gesture. "You've met Sitnalta," he said, indicating his lover.

"The lady with the puppy," Jack O'Neill grinned, holding out his hand. But instead of shaking it, Sitnalta hugged the older man. While holding on to him, she whispered something in his ear that John could not hear. When she stepped back he grinned at her. "I promised you, didn't I?"

Rodney looked grumpily at them. "See, there it is again. They whisper together and then she smiles at him with all that adoration," he grumbled.

John leaned over to his friend. "They're probably planning something you would rather not know about," he told Rodney.

"It's probably nothing to worry about," a new voice said. Everyone turned to see Colonel Carter walking towards them. With her were Teal'c and Doctor Daniel Jackson.

"I've brought some friends," O'Neill announced. A round of welcome passed. Everyone knew Sam Carter, as she had been expedition-leader a year ago. Daniel and Rodney were friends – kind of – and Ronon and Teal'c had formed a bond some time ago.

Half an hour later Jack, Sam, Elizabeth, Woolsey and John were gathered around the big table in the conference room. Ronon had taken Teal'c on an obscure tour of Atlantis. Teyla had joined them, probably to keep the peace. Rodney and Sitnalta had gone with Daniel to the lab.

"This isn't just a nice social visit," Jack began. "I've come to warn you that the IOA has something planned for Atlantis."

"What kind of plans?" Woolsey asked.

"We're not completely sure," Sam Carter answered. She leaned forward. "But they now have all this technology literally sitting on their doorstep. You can't expect them to just leave it sitting here."

"We had been expecting something like this," Elizabeth said. "Actually it surprises me that they have left us alone for so long."

"Well, your time is running out." Jack leaned back in his seat. "They're just clearing all those they intend to send here. I guess you have a couple of weeks before they arrive."

For a moment everyone was quiet. John thought about all those empty towers of Atlantis – towers they would never be able to visit with their limited numbers. Yet did they really want people running around the city that had no concern for it? While they had been in the Pegasus galaxy, they had respected the city and looked after it. Their whole existence had depended on the wellbeing – if you can call it that – of Atlantis. But now the city was back on earth and no one had to worry about the integrity of the city.

Yet it would be absurd for the IOA to destroy the city, wouldn't it? It would be in everyone's best interest to learn the science without damaging anything.

"Well, I suppose it would have been wishful thinking to assume we had any claim to Atlantis," Woolsey finally said, but John could see just the tiniest suggestion of pain in his voice. Of all of them, it had been Woolsey that had grown the most on Atlantis. Only a year ago he had been a stuck-up paper-pusher with the idea of changing Atlantis and the Atlantis-mission into a rule-abiding, neat community.

Instead Atlantis had changed Woolsey. Though still a bit stuck-up, he had relaxed considerably and learned to enjoy life – especially the kind of life found on Atlantis. BA – Before Atlantis – Woolsey had been a sad specimen of a man, only worth pitying. Now, AA – After Atlantis – he was someone even Ronon could respect – perhaps not listen to, but respect.

"You have to admit," Jack replied, "with the Atlantis technology we might be able to finally defend the earth from anything out there."

"Meanwhile the Wraith is having a field day in the Pegasus Galaxy," John grumbled. For a few days now he had been thinking about that: he, personally, more than anyone else, had been responsible for waking the Wraith. Ever since, Atlantis had been the main line of defence in the Pegasus galaxy against the Wraith. Now Atlantis was gone and the Wraith could do whatever they wanted to the Pegasus galaxy.

Besides, if the Wraith were to have any prospects of coming after earth again, they would only know of it when the Wraith entered the Milkyway galaxy. That was one prospect that frightened John, especially as they had no way of knowing how many of the Wraith had intercepted the beacon announcing the location of earth.

"Yes, well," Jack drawled, "it seems the IOA isn't very concerned about that." He frowned slightly. Suddenly John remembered the first time he had met General O'Neill. He had been flying the General to Antarctica. On the way there the two of them had only spoken a few words, up until the moment Beckett had nearly shot them down. That had been the one defining moment in John's life. Not even when he had sat down on the chair and everyone had realised he had the ATA gene, had he been as astonished as when that drone had tried to kill him.

And then, afterwards, when he had asked O'Neill if he would go to Atlantis, he had answered that he thought someone that didn't want to step through the stargate was crazy. He suddenly realised that Jack really cared about the people in the Pegasus galaxy – he understood the dilemma the Atlantis team found themselves in. But, like them, he could do little about it. This warning was the only thing he could do to give them a heads-up about the future the IOA had planned for them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Rodney McKay had not left Sitnalta's side in two days. One of the Becketts – he forgot which one – had brought over a bed for him, and he had slept there; waking every few hours to check on her. By now he was so tired he had fallen asleep at her bed-side, holding her hand. He knew John and the rest were worried about him, but he did not know how he could just leave her here. It wasn't even as if he could do something about it: he had been locked out of his lab.

"Rodney?" a soft voice called. He woke with a start to find Elizabeth behind him, her hand on his shoulder. On the other side of the bed John, Ronon and Teyla stood. They looked worried. Well, he knew that already.

"What time is it?" he asked; more out of something to say than any real concern. The only thing that concerned him was the cool hand gripped in his own. In all his years he had never been as afraid as these past few days. It was a new and terrible feeling.

When Sitnalta had collapsed a few days ago, he had personally found the strength to carry her all the way here. In fact, he had met the gurney just a few corridors from the infirmary, but he had been unwilling to leave her in the medics' care. Only when he could lay her down on the firm hospital bed did he allow his arms to let go.

Since then both Becketts and Jennifer Keller had run every conceivable test they could think of, but to no avail. As Jennifer had told him: it almost seemed as if Sitnalta had simply lost the will to live.

That had started the beginning of his vigil. Now it was evening again, probably two days later, he reckoned. It seemed like a lifetime.

"Sitnalta?" he asked, leaning over her and softly touching her cheek. She looked cool and serene – like an angel. But one could not love an angel: and he truly loved her.

"She's still the same," Duncan Beckett answered from behind him. As he had stood watch over Sitnalta, one of the three doctors had stood watch over him. He must really be worrying them.

"The same. What does 'the same' mean?" Rodney demanded.

"It means we are doing everything we can," the doctor tried to soothe his friend. But Rodney would not be calmed.

"She's dying, damn it!" He was yelling by now, yet Sitnalta lay as still as ever; untouched by external stimuli. "Why is she dying?"

"I think I know why," Elizabeth spoke up. She looked almost as pale as Sitnalta; and Rodney suspected she slept even less than usual. Now she looked worried and drained and if Rodney had any time to spare for someone else's troubles, he would have been worried about her. "A few days ago Sitnalta told me she thought she was not as separate from Atlantis as she had thought," the dark-haired woman explained. "She said she felt like a ghost. And," she added, "she said she could feel Atlantis shutting down."

"We have not found any proof that Sitnalta and Atlantis are connected," Duncan said. With their new tattoos the two men are easily identified. Duncan's tattoo was much smaller than Carson's, but much more intricate.

"But she did collapse the moment all those people came on board," Teyla pointed out. "And even I can feel a kind of withdrawal in the city."

"Rodney?" a faint voice interrupted the conversation.

"Sitnalta!" Rodney said, his eyes instantly drawn to her pale face. There were bruises under her eyes that worried him. "You're awake!" he inanely stated.

"I heard you talking," she whispered. She smiled weakly, her hand clasping that of her lover. "I am so sorry," she told him.

"Why?" Rodney asked. "What's happening?" He softly kissed the tips of her fingers; afraid any other contact might hurt her.

"I told you I am not Atlantis anymore," she whispered. But before she could continue, her eyes closed and she slipped into sleep.

He looked at her, afraid to even breathe. Then he frowned.

"Suppose it's true that Sitnalta and Atlantis are dying," he said, still looking at his only love. "Why would that be?" A new hope had sprung into his heart: if the city was ill, he could fix it. He could fix anything.

Except this beautiful young that seemed to love him in spite of everything.

"Sitnalta implied something on earth itself is killing the city," Elizabeth answered. "I've been doing some research," she started. "I've been wondering if there was any other reason Atlantis left the Milkyway galaxy tree million years ago."

"Did you find anything?" Rodney interrupted. She smiled wryly, willing to excuse his rudeness.

"No. Whatever had changed had happened after Atlantis had left the Milkyway galaxy." Elizabeth put a hand on Rodney's shoulder. "I have been going through some of the data since we've arrived in the Milkyway galaxy, and that was when all the readings started changing."

"How do you mean?" John asked, barely looking at the woman across the bed from him.

"It's almost as if something in this galaxy – or earth self – is corrupting the data. It's very gradual and I only picked it up, because I spend so much time reading the same files," Elizabeth explained without any malice.

"What you're explaining sounds like an allergic reaction. But could Atlantis be allergic to the Milkyway galaxy?" Duncan asked, frowning.

"Or it needs something that can only be found in the Pegasus galaxy," Ronon said, speaking for the first time since they came to the infirmary.

Rodney was still looking at Sitnalta, his lips pressed against the cool fingers he still held. For the first time in his life he was faced with a decision that would truly test the strength of his friendship with these people. It made his stomach ache; adding to the knot that was already there. But now his heart contracted anew and he could feel his hands slightly shaking. He knew how to save Sitnalta, but to do so he needed the cooperation of everyone he hoped were his friends.

"Then we leave." Rodney said, a fire in his eyes as he looked at each in turn.

"What? Leave?" Jennifer asked as she joined the group.

"What, just pack up and leave?" John sarcastically demanded.

"Look, I know I am an extremely arrogant and selfish man," Rodney said, looking at them but not leaving Sitnalta's side. "There is very little I care for in this world. But I really love Sitnalta. And I care for Atlantis. And I can't just stand and watch as both die. I would rather spend a lifetime in another galaxy than to lose them."

"They'll never allow Atlantis to leave," John sneered.

"Besides, we don't have any power left," Ronon suddenly added. "We burned out the ZPM's."

"Yes, well, I have been doing more research than just checking for reasons why Atlantis left earth," Elizabeth said and Rodney could hear her smile. She was probably the one person in Atlantis who would gladly join him in the Pegasus galaxy.

"I've noticed you've been preoccupied lately," John said. He seemed a bit reserved.

"According to one entry, it seemed as if the Ancients never intended to abandon the city," Elizabeth explained. "In fact it seemed they planned to return to Atlantis the moment the Wraith went into hibernation again."

"We've already found two ZPM's here on earth," Rodney again interrupted her. "Could they have brought along another one? I mean, the city runs on three ZPM's. Three ZPM's to power the city when they return?" He looked at his friends gathered around the bed of his beloved. In their faces he saw support and friendship. In their faces he saw hope.

Elizabeth smiled. "They brought along nine ZPM's."

"Three times three," Sitnalta said from her bed, her voice as faint as before. But obviously she had been aware of the conversation.

"Yes!" Elizabeth exclaimed, gesturing with one hand. "We've only found two. There are seven left out there."

Hope blossomed like a flower in his heart. "How do we find them?" Rodney asked.

"It seems the Ancients left us some really large markers," Elizabeth continued. "It appears that the Goa'uld weren't the builders of the pyramids after all."

"But the first ZPM wasn't found near a pyramid," John reminded them. It appeared that even though he might not like the idea of them returning to the Pegasus galaxy, he could at least respond to the challenge of the adventure.

"No," Rodney exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "But it was found on a tectonic fault-line. It must have shifted since the Ancients buried it."

"Yes. And the next one was found in Egypt, near the pyramid of Giza," Elizabeth ended.

But then the hope was crushed in Rodney's heart.

"But how will we find the ZPM once we're at the pyramids? We can't go around digging until we stumble upon it," he voiced his concern.

"The nanites," Sitnalta suddenly whispered again. "The nanites can detect the casing," she whispered before closing her eyes once more.

"It makes sense," Rodney said, willing to be distracted. "All of the Ancient's technology is interconnected," he told them, fragile hope reborn in his heart.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_One week ago..._

Sitnalta looked at her sleeping love. Then she placed her ear piece on her ear and tapped it.

"Major Lorne," she called. Right now he was the only one she could trust.

"Yes, Sitnalta," he replied. Though it was late, he was a light sleeper and would have heard the beeping of his ear piece.

"Get dressed, Evan. I need you to fly me somewhere," she told him.

"Where?" he sleepily asked. But she could hear the faint noise of cloth as he got dressed. The stars bless the American military mind, she thought.

"I'll explain when we get to the jumper bay," she replied.

"I thought you had the ATA gene?" She could hear the sleepy frown in his voice.

"Of course. But you're world is incredibly confusing. I'll never find anything without your help," she told him.

"Okay," he said, not questioning her further.

She quickly dressed as well. Then she bent over and kissed Rodney's sleeping mouth. This finally woke him enough to open one eye.

"Where are you going?" he mumbled, seeing her dressed.

"I'll explain later, love," she said with another kiss. He surprised her by snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her down on top of him. He deepened the kiss for a moment. Finally she pulled back. "I have to go," she reminded him.

"Where?" he asked again.

"I'll tell you in the morning."

The call had come only ten minutes ago. Just after the party at the White House, Rodney had bought Sitnalta a cell phone. It had been nothing more than a joke, for there was less than a dozen numbers saved in the phone book: nearly everyone Sitnalta knew were on Atlantis. And she could reach them via the com-line. But perhaps Rodney had felt the need to show off some of earth's advancements.

One of the numbers stored in the phone was that of Jeannie Miller, Rodney's sister. It had been she calling.

The tune was set on an old Modern Talking song she found amusing: 'Atlantis is calling.' It was actually rather annoying after midnight, yet it had not seemed to disturb Rodney. So with bleary eyes Sitnalta had picked up the phone and stepped around the corner so not to wake the man sleeping in their bed.

"It is very late," she answered moments before the time she knew the tune would end and the call would be send to voice-mail.

Jeannie was crying. "Please, please come and get me," she had sobbed.

"What happened?" Sitnalta had instantly asked.

"Caleb...Caleb," she sobbed, unable to make herself understood. But Sitnalta hadn't cared what was the matter; she only knew her friend was in trouble and she needed her help.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she had assured the other woman.

"Don't tell Mer," Jeannie had managed before breaking the connection, referring to her brother.

#####

The flight was smooth and quiet. Fortunately the Millers had a patch of open lawn at the back of their house, and Lorne landed the jumper without a bump; cloak engaged.

As they approached the back door, it flew open and Jeannie ran out and into Sitnalta's arms. She was still crying, but Sitnalta was sure there was an edge of anger to her tears.

"The lying, cheating bastard!" she finally managed between sobs.

"Who?" Sitnalta asked.

"Caleb! I found him with one of his students!" she wept, but there was definitely an edge to her voice.

Sitnalta frowned. "I do not understand," she said, still holding her friend. "Surely he has to be with his students to teach them?"

Now Jeannie pulled away, looking at Sitnalta with disbelief. "He was _with_ her!" she tried again, stressing the one word. Sitnalta still did not understand.

But Lorne seemed to. "Where is he?" he asked Jeannie, a mean note to his voice. The young Major greatly respected Jeannie. But why he should return to the jumper and fetch the Wraith stunner, Sitnalta did not understand.

"What are you doing with that?" she shrieked.

"Perhaps if I shoot him just right, he won't be able to use it again for a week," the young man explained. If the conversation had been perplexing to Sitnalta before, it had just turned completely unfathomable.

Jeannie gave a tight little grin, but then she shook her head. "No, leave him. Just take me and Madison to Atlantis," she told Lorne, referring to her young daughter. She preceded them into the house where two suitcases stood. On one sat the blonde little girl. Jeannie picked her up and Lorne picked up the suitcases, resignedly handing the stunner to Sitnalta.

Two minutes later they were on their way back to Atlantis. Sitnalta was sitting in the back with Madison sleeping in her arms. Jeannie sat next to Lorne. None of them spoke. It was only as they approached the bay that Jeannie finally leaned over to Lorne and softly asked:

"She really doesn't understand?"

Lorne glanced behind him at Sitnalta, who pretended not to hear.

"Can you just imagine Rodney cheating on her?" he asked; answering the question with another. But suddenly Sitnalta understood.

"Cheating!" she shrieked, making Madison stir. Still angry, but with less volume she looked at Jeannie. "Caleb cheated on you?" she demanded, suddenly sorry Lorne had not shot the man. And if he shot Caleb just right with the stunner...oh! So _that_ was what he had meant, she suddenly realised. With sad eyes she regarded her friend.

"I'm so sorry," she said. But words seemed inadequate. And no wonder she hadn't wanted Rodney to know: Rodney had been taking his job as older brother very seriously recently. He _would_ have shot Caleb.

Jeannie shook her head. "It's partly my fault, I know," she said, fresh tears in her eyes. "I was just so sure everything would work out," she added. By now the puddle jumper was sliding into its bay. "Please don't tell Mer. I'll tell him in my own time," she pleaded. Both Sitnalta and Lorne nodded.

"But I would suggest you do it sooner, rather than later," Lorne warned her. "You can't keep a secret on Atlantis."

"I know," she replied.

Together Lorne and Sitnalta helped the distraught woman and her daughter to an empty room. They would talk again in the morning.

Ten minutes later Sitnalta crawled into bed, cuddling up to Rodney. She could not imagine losing him to another woman. She could not imagine losing him, at all.

"Wha..." he began. But she snuggled closer and he pulled her into his arm, her head resting on his shoulder. She would never give him up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"No, find another way!" John said stubbornly.

"There is no other way," Rodney replied. "We'll only initiate one program in the nanites," he explained, referring to their plan to reactivate a sub-program imbedded within Elizabeth's nanites to find the ZPM's.

But John was adamant. "I will not let you reactivate the nanites!"

Duncan Beckett took the moment to interrupt the conversation. "There's hardly any nanites left in her body as it is," he, too, explained. "Much of it had been replaced by her own tissues. Not all of it, mind you, but a lot."

"No," John repeated, and suddenly Elizabeth's calm snapped. For years now she had been willing to stay out of John's way; aware he thought of her as less than human. And for years now she had been virtually useless. But she needed to do this. For the first time in a very long time she felt alive; not just living. Besides, she trusted Rodney. He had been one of the first to trust her again. Hell, he had been one of those that had programmed the nanites.

"What are you so afraid of?" she snapped at John.

"You saw what those _things_ did the last time," he snapped back at her.

His answer had been expected, but it still hurt her. A cold, solid sorrow washed over her. But it lasted less than a second. She was done with feeling sorry for herself. Cold sorrow changed to flaming anger in a heartbeat.

"How dare you? You think I am no longer good enough? I am a _thing_? Am I to be locked away like some dirty secret for the rest of my life?" She narrowed her eyes even further. "I am still human," she firmly stated.

But John was angry as well. "You are also a danger," he nearly yelled. "And every time I look at you I regret what we did to you," he finished.

Her anger cooled to a hot, solid weight in her heart. "Then maybe you should have left me to die with Oberoth," she calmly replied, eyes narrowed.

They were still gathered in the infirmary around Sitnalta's bed. Only a few moments ago she had slipped into a coma, and if Rodney had been adamant about not leaving her side earlier, he was now even more so. It was there that he had explained the procedure only half an hour ago. To Elizabeth it seemed like a lifetime. Before the fight she had been hopeful that she and John would at least learn to life alongside one another. But now it seemed as if he truly hated her.

But the part that really bothered her was that it still mattered to her what he thought of her. It shouldn't, but it did. She was an idiot.

Now, instead of answering her, John merely stalked out of the infirmary.

"I'm sorry, lass," Duncan told her, his eyes as haunted as she knew her own were. Duncan, too, was not exactly normal and he took it personal when someone implied they were not human – or did not have the right to be called human.

She nodded, one hand clenching the sheets.

Strangely enough, it was Rodney – Rodney who was usually unaware of the feelings of others – that found a way to ignite a spark of hope in her heart.

"You know, Elizabeth," he began, looking at her. "It was John who went back for you on the Replicator planet. He was the one that carried you to the jumper. And he had stayed beside you all the way home."

For a silent moment all of them stared at her, but her mind was light-years away. Then she smiled a small little smile and nodded. Without another word she turned and left.

As she walked out she heard Ronon's deep grumble: "If he hurts her again, I will shoot him."

"You do that, big fellow," Duncan answered. She grinned. Good old Ronon.

She finally tracked John down in the gym, where he was systematically giving Evan Lorne a beating. The younger man really was trying to defend himself, but John had been training a while now with both Teyla and Ronon and was in his prime. Besides, she could see he was driven by something more than mere anger. Lorne never stood a chance.

"Enjoying your session?" Elizabeth asked the younger man. Lorne took the opportunity of her interruption to end the session and to retrieve his pack. He looked over his shoulder at his angry superior. Then he frowned at Elizabeth.

"Not particularly, ma'am. I must be having an off day," he added before disappearing down the hall. This left only Elizabeth and John in the room. She slowly wandered in.

"You know, beating your subordinates might not be the best of ideas," she casually remarked. John glared at her before replacing his weapons and wiping the sweat from his face. She looked at him, her smile vanishing. "What happened, John? We used to be friends."

He stood absolutely still for a moment before answering her. "I'm not sure anymore."

"We have been through so much together," she tried again. "It used to be so much simpler."

"It is always simpler in retrospect," he told her.

"Why does it have to be complicated now?" she wondered, nearly whispering. As they had been talking, they had instinctively been moving closer together. By now she could smell the sweat on his body; he was that close.

"I don't want you to do this," he said, referring to the reactivation of the nanites.

"What do you fear?" she countered. She could feel the tension of his body – he was still angry. And now she understood his anger: it was the only way to control his fear.

As if in reply, he reached out and took a lock of her hair from where it fell over her shoulder. His next words surprised her.

"I really have been an arrogant, selfish bastard," he told her.

She smiled slightly at him. "There seems to be a lot of that going around, these days," referring to the same description Rodney had given of himself only half an hour ago.

He grinned that crooked smile of his. "No, I've been arrogant and selfish towards _you_," he corrected her. This took her aback. She had thought he hadn't been aware of telling her that, that night he had been drunk. And it had been more than a month ago that they had had that conversation.

"I suppose this is important," he continued. "Very well, we'll do this. But I am coming along," he sternly said. "I'll be calling the shots, understand?"

She suppressed her smile. "Yes, Colonel," she agreed.

He nodded and actually handed her hair back to her, so she had to take it from him. Then he turned and gestured for her to precede him out the room. She took two steps, only enough to draw a little in front of him. Then she turned back.

"Thank you for saving me," she seriously told him. "From Oberoth, that is," she explained.

He grinned slightly. "Who told you? Sitnalta?"

"Rodney, actually," she smiled.

He suddenly looked boyishly shy. He shrugged. "Yeah, well, I have my moments."

"Yes, you do," she said before finally turning and heading back to the infirmary.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Their search for ZPM's has literally taken them all over the world. With limited time at their disposal, they had to narrow down the list of nine potential sites to just three. As the Egyptian ZPM had already been found – and used – that helped a little.

In the end they went to Mexico and India, and would soon arrive in China. As expected, every search took some time. In Mexico Elizabeth had been able to pinpoint the location almost immediately, as the ZPM was buried in a temple right next to the pyramid. Yet it had still taken them nearly a day's digging – and a couple of shots with Ronon's gun – to breach the chamber where the device was stored. By mutual agreement they had returned to Atlantis for the night; setting out again early the next morning. When they checked in with Sitnalta in the infirmary, Jennifer informed them that the young woman wasn't doing so well. She seemed to be slipping into a deeper coma. John was surprised to see Rodney's reaction to this news: instead of freaking out, he merely got more determined; a dark, set look on his face. For the first time the true importance of the mission settled on John. If Rodney was difficult with Sitnalta in his life, he would probably become intolerable should she die.

India had been a bit trickier. Though the site of the pyramids was clear and easily accessible, the ZPM wasn't nearby. They had to fly around in slow circles for nearly three hours before Elizabeth was able to detect the first traces of the device. It seemed that the pyramids as markers were rather loosely interpreted by those who hid the devices: the signal was coming from at least a hundred kilometres away from the nearest pointed building.

Unfortunately their first assessment of the situation proved incorrect: the ZPM had indeed been buried within a ten kilometre radius of the pyramid. But two generations ago (according to the wizened old man) the device had been found in the ruins of an ancient village by a couple of brothers. The younger brother was the old man's grandfather, and the ZPM had been handed down in the family. Sometime later one industrious family member had turned it into a chandelier. So now it hung from the cheap ceiling with bits of candle wax wedged into every available space.

Rodney nearly freaked.

It was Elizabeth who reverted to her role as negotiator and finally managed to retrieve the ZPM from the family. The negotiations took two days – two nervous days with only rations and the comfort of the jumper. Perhaps it would have been easier if the natives spoke English, but only one kid in the entire village was able to translate for them.

By the end of the first day, Elizabeth slumped down next to John inside the puddle jumper. Tiredly she laid her head against the bulkhead, closing her eyes. He frowned. Ever since they had saved her life with the nanites, she had needed only a little sleep. But these days she always seemed tired.

"You don't look so good," he told her. She opened one eye to glare at him for a moment. Then she sighed and focussed all of her attention on him.

"I don't feel so good," she replied. "And sleep doesn't help. Something else is wrong."

He thought about that for a moment, but in the end it was Ronon – Ronon who was so quiet one could actually forget he was in the same room – who came up with an interesting idea.

"The Replicator technology was created by the Ancients, right?"

"Yes, but..." Rodney began. But Ronon glared at him and the scientist fell silent.

"So perhaps a bit of the same thing that is happening to Sitnalta is happening to you," the Satedan proposed. The rest of them thought about that. It was only John, Elizabeth, Rodney and Ronon who had come along. Teyla had stayed behind with Sitnalta and Torren.

"You know, that is quite possible," Rodney began. But his heart wasn't in it and he stopped without offering any further explanation. John's worry increased tenfold at this development.

The next morning Elizabeth went to the villager and promised him everything she owned. While John watched her negotiate – or rather: give a description of everything she owned – he realized even this did not seem strange. Part of him – and obviously the same part for Elizabeth – had already given up his claim to earth. He suddenly realised he would gladly give everything he owned as well if only they could get that ZPM. It did not matter that Atlantis would probably never be allowed back on earth if they left. It definitely did not matter to Elizabeth, he realized. It probably hasn't mattered to her in a long time. No wonder she was so upset about him not trusting her with Atlantis: the city would forever now be her home.

Then his thoughts wandered to the rest of his friends. Both Ronon and Teyla were from the Pegasus galaxy anyway. But they had given up their people to join Atlantis in the fight against the super Hive-ship. Atlantis was their home, now. Then there was Sitnalta who could not even leave the city for too long a time. And of course Rodney had already thrown his lot with that of the city. The last one on the list who could not leave Atlantis was Duncan Beckett: according to earth he had no right to anything of Carson, therefore he had nothing on earth. Perhaps Jennifer would stay, too; for Duncan.

Finally the villager agreed to be separated from his ZPM, and the four of them went to the jumper: their prize firmly clutched against Rodney's chest.

As the jumper neatly ascended, they received a call from Radek.

"You better hurry," he started without any formalities. "The scientists want to start disassemble the primary control crystals of the stargate. I can hold them off for a while, but..." and they could actually hear his shrug. "Just hurry."

The four of them turned to look at one another. "I suggest we go directly to the next site," Rodney voiced his opinion.

"I agree with him," Ronon joined in. John looked over at Elizabeth. Tiredly she nodded. He realised that all of his energy not spent on the mission was on Elizabeth and how tired she looked. He was really worried about her.

"Okay, then," he finally said, already turning back to the controls. "We forego sleep and save the city," he quipped. He could feel Rodney's glare on his back.

With the puddle jumper the flight took less than half an hour: it took a number of fly-bys to find a landing spot close to where Elizabeth said she could feel the ZPM. But finally the puddle jumper landed with a soft bump. The step-pyramid was only half a mile's hike to the east.

The four of them made the trip without any trouble or conversation. The only interruption was when Elizabeth stumbled and Ronon had to help her up. Though Atlantis was half a world away – and his theory had not been proven – she seemed to have worsened ever since they got the call from Radek.

Finally they came to the pyramid. Unlike some of the others, this one was still very much tucked away in the wilderness. According to one article a group of students from a local university had explored it for the duration of a holiday. But local legend kept the nearby villagers away. Besides, in a country full of wonders, a single, smallish pyramid wasn't something people worried about.

"Okay, where to now?" Rodney asked Elizabeth. He had his tablet out: from the student profile of the exploration done earlier, he had copied a map of the interior. Well, he had maps of hundreds of pyramids, seeing as they were never sure which one had a ZPM. Now he tapped at the tablet a number of times. "According to the kids the only opening to the structure is through a doorway about halfway up." He pointed: "and on the other side."

"Then let's go," John said, heading around the pyramid.

"I think the Ancients were crazy," Ronon grumbled, weapon at the ready. He had earlier stated his dislike in the gloomy, dangerous buildings. From his place in the lead John grinned, thinking Ronon had sounded exactly like Obelix from the Asterix comics.

On the other side they found the steps leading up and into the pyramid. They were much like those they had seen from the air in Mexico. So the small group headed up and into the heart of the pyramid. And of course, Ronon was correct: it was gloomy.

Inside, Elizabeth took the lead. For a moment she closed her eyes before heading off down one corridor. Unlike the other ZPM's they had found, this one seemed to actually be buried inside the pyramid. And according to the students this pyramid was virtually riddled with corridors. The outside was nothing more than a shell.

The corridor finally turned a corner – where their journey came to a sudden halt. The corridor had fallen away, leaving a jagged hole in the floor. It stretched all the way to where the corridor dead-ended at a corner, making it impossible to cross.

"Well, looks like a dead-end," John decided. "We'll have to go to another site," he said before looking at Elizabeth. "Are you sure we have to go this way?" he wanted to know from her. She nodded; a distant look in her eyes as she looked down the dark hole. "That settles it, we're leaving."

"We don't have time to go to another site!" Rodney exclaimed.

"We'll lose more time crossing that gap than going to another site," Ronon told his teammate.

"Besides," John said, scowling, "I won't risk any of our lives in trying to cross that."

"No," Elizabeth suddenly said, her voice distant. "Rodney is correct; we don't have the time to go to another site." She looked up at them. "Atlantis has little time left – too little. We need to get this one or we will lose both the city and Sitnalta." Her voice trailed off. Then she sighed. "And if what Ronon suggested is true, then I will not survive the loss of the city either."

"Please," Rodney asked them.

"I will go down there," Elizabeth offered. "I'm dead either way," she explained her resolution.

John leaned over the gap a little. "Down?" he asked.

"Yes, the ZPM is almost directly beneath us," she explained. "I have to go." She looked at John and he was suddenly reminded of a similar situation years ago. It was at the end of their first year on Atlantis and the Wraith were on their way. The Genii had given them two nuclear bombs, but they had no way of delivering it. Then he had thought of taking a puddle jumper. As he had been on his way through the control-room, Elizabeth had seen him and had somehow _known_ what he had been planning.

"You can't," she had told him as he stood on the stairs.

"I have to, you know it," he had replied even though he hated the idea.

"John..." she had started. But she never finished the sentence. Instead they had simply stared at one another: as they were doing now, he remembered. And then she had simply told him: "Go."

Now, years later, it was his turn to agree to something he knew _she_ had to do. "Okay," he replied.

_to be continued..._


End file.
